Some more men in my life...

So I thought Father's Day was like 2 weekends ago, and I realized it wasnt, so I stopped blogging about men in my life, then...it snuck up on me...so I gotta get them all in!

The next man in my life...is....my brother, Luke!

Luke and my other brother created a "club" and they had a club house underground that had a real tiger in it. And I could only be in it if I made them food. Once they got their food, then I couldnt be in it :(  (it obviously wasnt real)

Luke was always a leader and protector.

When I was born and came home from the hospital Luke and Leighton asked if my mom could bring me back.

Our first "secular" music we listened to was country. And we Loved the song, "Love, Me" by Colin Raye. I still get a little teary-eyed if I hear this song!
And anytime we hear, "I start walking your way, you start walking mine...we meet in the middle, beneath that old Georgia pine..." we call each other and sing it....

When I lived in Eunice, Luke would randomly send me postcards. They meant the world to me. I still have them. It seemed like he sent them exactly when I needed them.

Luke was my youth minister in high school and he really discipled me and believed in me.
He pushed me beyond what I thought were my limits.

One of my most favorite memories: One time when I sick, Luke stayed up almost all night with me. We watched some dumb movie on Lifetime about a fraternity and they had this special handshake and sometimes we still do that handshake.

I could say alot more of good memories. Luke has had a big role in shaping who I am especially in my walk with God. He is someone I will still call for wisdom and encouragement.

Cloth Diapering for Dummies

I felt like a big dummy when I started researching cloth diapers. Not because it is dumb, but because I had no idea what modern cloth diapering was like! So I decided to do a little Cloth Diapering 101 for my readers out there.

1. You Need a Cleaning/Waste System. I bought a regular white 13 gallon plastic trash can from Wal-Mart. I think it was 12 dollars. Then I bought a hefty cloth laundry bag from Wal-Mart, it was like 6 dollars.

Then at Target, I got these Arm and Hammer disc used for odors. I threw them into the bottom of the pail before putting the bag.

When a diaper is wet, i take out the insert, spray it with this then spray the diaper. Then drop into pail.

Ok, easy enough, but what about a scary poo diaper???? Many people have asked this. So lets break it down.

There are 3 types of baby poo (well, really 4, but this is considering they are not sick). Ok, so three:

1. Breast-fed poo. This poo is usually runny and has little or no smell. This poo is water soluble and nothing has to be done to it.

2. Peanut butter consistency poo. There are 2 easy way to discard this poo. You can buy biodegradable flush-able liners, like these. Once they poo just take the liner out and flush it. Easy peasy. Or you can buy or make a diaper sprayer and attach it to toliet. Spray poo off in toliet and there ya go.

3. Solid poo. Just dump in toliet.

Seriously, how easy is that???? So easy. Yes a little more work, but to me, its so worth it!

So now, we have a waste system. We need a diapering system. I do not have this completely worked out, my child has leaked almost every time so far. I am learning and figuring out what works for us.

1. We have 12 bumgenius diapers.
2. We have like 25 inserts.
3. We have liners.

Right now, Im trying to figure out what size she needs. See the diapers come with snaps on the front, to make them small, medium or large. I know she doesnt need small. And I dont think she is quite large, so I will stick with the mediums. Tonight, I will try 2 inserts. I think I will end up buying some hemp inserts which are more absorbable.

And what about when we are out and about?

We will use disposables for church and babysitters. I am not sure yet how its going to work when we go somewhere for the weekend. But I have bought a wet bag which is like a big ziploc bag with fabric on the outside. I will put dirty diapers in there until I can get home and discard them in the diaper pail.

Ok thats all I got for now. I will do some more as we get further into this cloth diapering thing.

The Big Switcheroo

We are switching to cloth diapers. I know we are crazy. You might be wondering why in the world would I decide this when my child is 10 months old?

A. We have not had to buy disposable diapers before now. We were given diapers at showers. Then for Christmas we asked for no gifts for us or Audrie, only formula and diapers. And my lovely Aunt bought us quite a few boxes of diapers. So we were set...Honestly, we still have 1 box left...I bought target brand for during the day and was going to use the expensive ones for night time. Anyway, so cost is the first reason. It will be a big up front cost which I am doing some odd jobs to be able to buy them. Plus, I can buy as many as we need for 2 days, then wash them every other day. Yes, more work, but less $, and when you are on a budget, this is a good thing.

B. It is better for the environment. I am not a big go green kinda person. I kinda want to be in some ways..but anyway, I just feel like this is better. I am sure I could do the research and enter statistics and facts here, but i am not going to.

C. Its better for the babies bottom. We havent had any problems with Audrie's bottom in fact, she has had 1 diaper rash and it was from teething. It lasted like 1 1/2 days. From what I have read on the internet, it is better for a baby. But think about it, if you had to wear a diaper everyday, would you want a plastic one or a cloth one?

D. It's a challenge. And Im always up for one!

If you're like me, when you think of cloth diapers...you think of this...

Well, friend, good thing we live in 2010! Modern cloth diapering companies have created cloth diapers to be so much simpler, and in ways very similar to a disposable one...

Here are the cloth diapers I am using. (except I didnt get organic)

I will continue updating as we experience this change. And talk about how we made the switch! 

TOP 2 Favorite Books

This was a hard topic for me to choose from. I love reading. And I love a good book.

So my top 2 favorites...I could think of, right now...

1. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

If you are a female and you like to read, go get this book NOW! It is SOOOO good! You will cry and laugh and cry some more....Oh, so good. 

2. Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell

 

Ok, yall know I can just pick 2 for some things...So here are some of my other favorites!

A Farewell to Arms

The Red Tent

The Bradley Way

New Kind of Christian

Twilight Series (yes, I love them)

Harry Potter Series (yes, again...Prisoner of Azkaban is my fav!)

Sookie Stackhouse Books

Memoirs of a Geisha

Something Borrowed & Something Blue (They are making these a movie!)

There are many more...but these just name a few!

Now go to Tay's website and play too!

Audrie is 10 Months Old!!!

Audrie has been 10 months old for 3 days now…and I am just now writing her 10 month post…Oops.

To go along with her 9 month post, her is another exhaustive list, I will try to not to do any repeats:

• You love a sippy cup with a straw. Not the Nuby kind or the Lil’ Munchkin brand, they are too hard for you to suck out of it. You like the Playtex kind. However, you love to drink out of mommy’s straw best.
• You have discovered in the past week that your finger fits perfectly in your nostril. And you do this often.
• You are taking many steps at a time. Usually, you “walk” best on concrete or if we are somewhere besides our house. I have no idea why.
• You tried whole milk for the first time about a week ago. Mommy's plan is to start slowly and have you completely on whole milk at 12 months. And to be completely off a bottle and solely on a sippy cup. Good thing we found those Playtex ones with the straw!
• You went swimming for the first time in a big pool on memorial day. You loved it. Mommy put you under water and you didn’t seem to care, however, it made daddy nervous so I couldn’t do it again!
• You are wearing some 18 month clothes L
• You have been nodding your head “no” a lot, and sometimes in the correct context.
• You point at things
• Daddy and mommy are trying to teach you how to say dog. However, you try to imitate us and say “gawd”.
• You are so long, it makes mommy want to cry. She misses her wittle baby.
• This month we added graham crackers and shortbread cookies to snacks you can eat. And like.
• Mommy has been feeding you what she eats for dinner. You really like this.
• Mommy and daddy have purposefully tried to make you rough. Sometimes, you’re a little too rough and you get hurt because you think you can do anything.
• You wont let me rock you to sleep anymore. It is bittersweet. I enjoy that I can get stuff done as soon as you are sleepy and I put you down, but sometimes I miss holding you.
• You have a best friend named Adalynn. Now, you know each other and when you are in the nursery together at church, you follow each other around. Sometimes you even want to be rocked together.
• You have been taking bubble baths. Sometimes you try to eat the bubbles.
• Every morning you and mommy go for a walk. You love to be outside. 
• You are still quite attached to mommy and you dont like when someone takes you from mommy. Sometimes even when it is daddy.
• You love playing with your cousins. And you had a new baby boy cousin that was born on May 31.
• You still on say "ma-ma" or "ma" when you are crying or whining. You still love saying da-da all day!   

Everyday, mommy and daddy love you more and more, and each day we feel like its impossible to do so. You are SO much fun and so silly. You make us laugh all the time. You have such a sweet spirit. You love to smile, and it melts mommy’s heart. Even though I feel sad that you are growing up so fast, I love watching you grow. When life seems hard, I look at you and everything gets better.  

Getting Rid of the Checklist

I started attending a bible study called "Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl". I am so excited about this! I just finished the first chapter and couldnt wait to blog about it!

The reason why:

Her story is like mine in ways. She has endured more heartache and hard times then I have for sure. But she came to a point in life where she felt stuck. Oh, have I felt that!

During college, I lived a checklist life. Here was my checklist:

• Go to BCM
• Be on BCM council
• Go to church
• Go to college group
• Go to chapel
• Dont drink
• Dont go to any parties
• Hang out with only people I KNOW are Christians and who dont do things that would offend my checklist
• Only dance at BCM foot-functions
• Read Bible on occasion but act like I do more than that
• Make people think I am perfect
• Being outgoing, funny and always happy
• Etc...

This was the checklist I lived by for the first 3 years of college. And honestly, 1 of those years, I would say I experienced a form of depression. I felt so alone. All I had was my checklist and it made me feel empty. 

Then I met a guy and we started dating. He was a Christian, but did not grow up in the church. And he showed me that my checklist was stupid. However, without my checklist, I didnt know how to live. I ended up making some wrong choices. And even though I got rid of my checklist all together, I replaced it with him and other things that left me empty too.

I have learned (the hard way)...Following Jesus have nothing to do with a checklist. Because a checklist would mean we could do it on our OWN. And WE CANT.  Following Jesus has nothing to do with who we are or what we can do but everything to do with who HE IS. 

Maybe this sounds familiar to you. Trying to follow a checklist. Trying to put on a perfect facade but on the inside you feel empty and desperate.

I love how Lysa puts it in her book, "Ask a group of Christian women what makes them feel fulfilled and chances are they'll answer you with things they do. But true fulfillment is never found in seeking to do enough, be enough, have enough, know enough, or accomplish enough. 'Enough' is elusive, always just slightly out of reach". 

Jesus is the ONLY person who can fulfill us "enough". He NEVER intended for Christianity to be a checklist. He intended it to be a RELATIONSHIP with HIM. 

My Parent's Love Story (In Part)

Today is my dad and mom's 37th Wedding Anniversary! Whoa! Thats a LONG time!  Anyway, I asked her permission to write out their love story....or the beginning of it. The parts I know. And she reluctantly said yes. I dont think she knows I remember the details.

My dad went with a buddy to eat a catfish restaurant named Cool Point in Oil City, LA. My mom happened to be their waitress. When my mom left the table after getting their drink orders, my dad looked at his buddy and said, "I am going to marry that woman".

My dad got her number and called her up. He asked her out and she said no. Then he said, "Can I ask you a personal question?", and she said, "depends what it is"...He said, "Was that your real hair?" and she said "No, it was a wig"..."Good", he says. My mom still told him no. Then my dad called back and talked to my grandma...and somehow she talked my mom into going.

For their first date, they were going to the movies. And my dad showed up in a three piece suit carrying an umbrella in case it rained! My mom thought he was an old man! (He is 4 years older!) Then when they got in the car, he put down the armrest so my mom wouldnt cuddle up next to him! It made her so mad, she didnt want to go another date with him.

So, he asked her out for the next weekend and she said no, because she had another date. Well, turns out her date came and asked her to marry him. She said no, of course, so the date ended early. And she went out on the lake with her girlfriends...and guess who was there? Larry P! (my dad)...He was mad because he thought she lied. He called and she told him the story, and she felt so bad...she decided to go out with him again. And this time was different. This time she started to fall in love with him.

Summer ended quickly and she had to go back to school, 2 hours away from my dad. They wrote each other a letter for everyday of the week. (My dad would write all of them at the same time, then mail them each day) **She wont let me read these!** My dad would go see my mom every other weekend. One weekend he rode his motorcycle. On the way home, it started to pour down rain and all he had was a small wind jacket on. So he pulled over into someone's barn. Then once he got home, he got his car and ran down to the post office. It was really cold out and he accidently locked his keys in his car and he was barefoot. He had to walk about 1/2 mile home in the cold to get an extra key. He was there to get the letters from my mom. **He tells this story much better**

On of my favorite stories, I have only heard a few times....Once when my parents were engaged, they were sitting in my dad's car and made a commitment to God that they would go to church every Sunday, tithe and raise their children for Him. I am sure there is some more detail, but I love that. That before they were even married they made this commitment to each other and the Lord!

They dated a year, were engaged a year and then got married on June 2, 1973. 

Shepherd's Pie

Tonight, my husband has requested Shepherd's Pie. His mom made it often when he was growing up...and mine didnt. So a few months ago, when he requested it, I had no idea how to make it. I had heard of it before.

I asked G.T.'s mom for the recipe...and have kind of made it into my own version...

Here it is:

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1 small onion
Optional: Bell pepper, celery
Tony's, Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper
4 or 5 medium size potatoes
Optional: Butter, Cream Cheese and Milk
Sliced Cheese

Peel potatoes. Cut into small chunks. Boil (about 20 minutes). Mash with potato masher. Mix in 1/2 stick of butter. 1/2 Block of Cream Cheese and a little milk. Spice it up if you would like. I put a little Lawry's seasoned salt in mine.

While potatoes are boiling, brown ground turkey with chopped onion. (I dont have a bell pepper or I would use it and I do not like celery). If you like celery and have a bell pepper, chop them and throw them in with meat. Then spice the meat with Tony's, Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder. Or whatever spices make you happy.

Place meat in a casserole dish. Spoon and smooth finished potatoes over meat. Place slices of cheese on top and they will melt. If not, you can pop it into the over for a few minutes to melt cheese.

And thats it! :)  Easy Peasy.


You might ask, where are the veggies? Usually Shepherd's Pie is made with veggies. No here. But I do serve it with some. Tonight will probably be LeSeur Early Peas. Because I love them.

Men in My Life II

This is my papaw, Floyd Hezekiah Allen...and me...

My papaw died when I was in highschool. He is my father's father. He was a very hard worker and founded Allen's Electric Motors.

Things I remember about my grandpa:

I remember staying at his house and him and grandmother would watch the same show but in different rooms. And they would only use sound on one of the t.v.'s. I thought this was really funny.

I remember sitting on his lap as a little girl while he wound a motor.

I remember helping him spray paint some motors.

My favorite memory:  My papaw was put in a nursing home towards the end of his life. One day my dad went a got him to spend the day together and for some reason I had to keep him company for a few minutes while my dad ran an errand. Well, my papaw kept telling me stories of my uncles and aunt when they were younger. And he kept telling me over and over to not get in car with a boy alone! :)  I will cherish that conversation with him for the rest of my life.

Funny memory: At my papaw's funeral, I fainted at the burial site. Apparently, I had low blood sugar and all I had eaten that day was cake. I was SOOOOOO embarrassed. But now, its funny.

Oh...I almost forgot! So, a few years ago, I was researching my genealogy. Well apparently, you can find someones SSN if they have passed. I found Floyd Hezekiah Jr.  And I was like WHAT? There is no junior. There is Uncle Mickey (Michael), my dad Larry Powell and Uncle Richard. I called my dad and asked about it...Then I found out my papaw had been married TWICE before my grandmother! And with one of the women, she had a son! Who flew a medical helicopter and had gotten in an accident a number of years ago...My Aunt Peggy didnt even know she had a half-brother until she was in highschool!

Apparently, my mamaw didnt want people to know. Well, I uncovered the family secret!

Also, my Papaw was in WWII and was injured in a fox hole. He wouldnt talk about this much either. My dad only knew about it from my grandma.

I wish they were still alive so I could find out more! I really want to name my future son Hezekiah and call him Kiah, but GT isnt crazy about it :(   and I wouldnt want anyone to call him Hezzy!